


The Great Hunt

by chocochurros



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 05:24:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12698247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocochurros/pseuds/chocochurros





	The Great Hunt

He dodged the fish and swam fast,  
Feeling adrenaline course through his veins.  
He gave a wild, whooping laugh  
As he chased the great sting ray.  
Careful not to brush against  
The deadly, barb-ed tail,  
He imagines the coppery, salty taste -   
His reward once he returns to sail.  
He pulls around with strong, quick strokes,  
Keeping the beast in careful sight,  
But also remaining near enough to the boat -   
Yeow! Splash! It's time to fight.  
He grapples with the creature,  
The smooth skin sliding beneath his touch,  
But he holds fast to its slippery features,  
Determined to catch his lunch.  
The struggle is epic to behold,  
As man and beast together splash...  
They almost seemed destined for this chokehold -   
One being, snagged in a dancelike thrash.  
Then, for one moment, sudden, the splashing halts,  
And a tableau takes its place.   
It's like a face-off between mighty gods,   
Turning plain sea to a holy space.  
And then, with a snap! And a resounding, splash!  
The moment's come and went.  
The wall of the storm has returned to crash,  
Replacing the eye, complete and spent.  
The fight resumes, but different now -   
Squint and wonder, what has changed?  
Widen your eyes in shock, for you see, somehow  
He's snapped off the ray's tail, like a man deranged.  
The sting ray can't hold on much longer,  
Something it seems to see,  
for its flailing efforts redouble;  
It struggles desperately.  
It chokes and strains to swim away,  
Escape from the merciless grasp -   
It's fading quickly, seems to take  
Its final, pleading gasp.  
Then, to its shock and sure surprise,  
It falls back into the sea.  
Its captor has averted eyes,  
Not seen by the beast retreating frantically.  
Then, he gives a tiny, parting wave,  
And a small, darkened smile -   
Both ashamed and proud that he caved  
And let the ray go, for a while.  
He turns to swim back to the boat,  
Remembering what he saw -   
The ray was a mother, carrying a coat  
Of eggs, causing her hunter's heart to thaw.  
When he saw the mother's desperate plea   
For her unborn loves,  
Something twinged inside of - me.  
A passing, peaceful dove.  
I let her go, I knew I could not bring myself to kill.  
Hopefully, she's had time to  
Heal, not eaten by something that will.  
I got no thanks for what I did,  
But that is fine by me.  
My partner didn't ask how she managed to swim  
Away - he understood silently.


End file.
